Reporting or researching a pool problem

Call 714-433-6000 to report a complaint about a public pool, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday; after hours, call 714-433-6418. To view inspection reports on public pools, a Public Records Act Request can be filed through the Health Care Agency's Custodian of Records Office, 714-834-3536 or by email at HCACustodianofRecords@ochca.com.

As temperatures sizzle, swimmers will dip into pools for relief and fun.

The water might feel refreshing, but odds are good that it’s more filthy than fine.

Health inspectors have issued more than 27,600 citations during the past three years for conditions at Orange County’s public pools that put bathers at risk of catching diseases such as E. coli, a Register analysis found.

Viruses, bacteria and parasites, shed mostly through feces, can sully the water and make people sick if there’s not enough chlorine, which kills the germs, or if pH levels are out of range. A high pH can render the chlorine ineffective and irritate skin and eyes.

“Chlorine – that’s your main disinfectant, that’s going to get rid of almost any kind of bacteria,” said Mike Haller, food and pool safety manager for the Orange County Health Care Agency. “If it’s not there, the pool water gets cloudy. It could harbor pathogens that are harmful to bathers.”

Looking for all types of potential safety hazards, including those that might put swimmers at risk of drowning, the Health Care Agency inspects the approximately 7,000 communal pools, hot tubs, wading pools and water slides at parks, schools, apartment complexes and hotels twice a year, turning up an average of 35,896 violations annually.

A Register review of the agency’s enforcement data from 2013 to 2015 found 27,619 disinfection violations for chlorine, pH, water clarity, and cyanuric acid, a chemical that preserves chlorine exposed to a lot of sunlight.

The Health Care Agency data were included in a new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study of public pools in five states.

It found that 1 in 8 inspections resulted in immediate closures because of serious health and safety violations.

Last year in Orange County, the Health Care Agency temporarily closed 595 pools.

Some pools were shuttered multiple times, including those at Comfort Suites in San Clemente, where the water was green and cloudy, and Westminster High School, where a main drain cover was missing, inspection reports show.

“A lot of people underestimate the suction that’s coming through (the drain). It’s not that yuck factor, but it’s probably one of the more dangerous situations,” said Jeff Warren, a supervising environmental health specialist with the Health Care Agency.

What kinds of germs end up in pools and how do they get there? The answer lies mostly in feces.

University of Miami researchers studying animal feces in ocean water found that “one adult human swimmer contributes approximately the same microbial load as one bird fecal event,” and the CDC estimates humans have an average of 0.14 grams of feces on their bottoms.

Swimmers who don’t rinse off before diving into a pool, or who have accidents in the water, can easily spread germs to others.

A 2013 CDC study found that 58 percent of all public pool filters it tested were contaminated with E. coli, though not all strains of E. coli are toxic.

Chlorine isn’t always effective, especially against a hardy parasite called cryptosporidium, a major culprit of pool-borne diarrhea. The CDC says it can stay alive for days even in well-maintained pools.

Good hygiene is one of the best ways to protect yourself, says Sunny Jiang, a civil and environmental engineering professor at UC Irvine.

“There are always signs posted saying, ‘Take your children to the bathroom,’” she said. “People are maybe not fully aware of the importance.”

Warren advises pool users to take an inventory of the condition of their public pool before diving in. Assess the clarity of the water, and check whether gates and security equipment are in working order.

The level of maintenance of the pool, he said, is a good indication of whether it has been neglected.

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